


Hope For The Future

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Angst, Episode Tag, Episode: s01e22 What Kind of Day Has It Been, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-09-29
Updated: 2000-09-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 14:19:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14792124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Just when life was getting back to normal, a crisis brings the memories of the Newseum rushing back





	Hope For The Future

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Disclaimer: NONE of this belongs to us.  "The West Wing" and all the lovely things associated with it belong to the Head Wingnut Mr. Aaron Sorkin, NBC, and everyone else.  We claim no infringement or profit; we’re just playing with their toys for a little bit.

 

Author’s Notes: This is the third fan fiction we have written.  It is a sequel to "In the Beginning" and "Repercussions".  We would like to know what others think of our work, so any and all feedback is appreciated.  You may archive any of our stories, just let us know where.  Thank you.

 

Spoilers: Everything up to and including "What Kind of Day Has It Been"

 

**HOPE FOR THE FUTURE**

By: Tara and Rachel

 

 

          Josh Lyman whistled on his way into work at the White House.  Life was good.  He and his fellow staffers had come through the nightmares caused by the assassination attempt better than ever.  By helping each other day by day, they had become closer friends and more coherent as a working unit.  Josh’s personal life had taken an interesting turn as well.  After realizing what he felt for his friend and assistant, Donna Moss, extended beyond friendship, he made a confession to her.  As it turns out, Donna shared those same feelings for him, and they had gone on several dates in the week since.  Josh smiled as he headed for his office.  Life was good.

          

In the communications bullpen, Sam Seaborn hurried into his office.  He was late, an unusual occurrence for him. 

 ‘Okay, it’s not that unusual,’ he thought to himself, ‘but I can pretend.’  

"Cathy!" he yelled as he stopped at his office door.  His assistant’s head snapped towards him, as she tried to finish the doughnut she had swiped from her boss’s desk. 

 "Don’t worry, I didn’t even want my doughnut," he told her, "Give me five minutes before you bother me about the staff meeting, okay?"  Without waiting for a reply, he headed into his office to get a cup of coffee, and then took his seat behind his desk.  The ringing of his cell phone that he kept in his jacket pocket interrupted the peace and tranquillity he sought before he tackled another day of saving the world at the White House.            

"Sam Seaborn," he answered crisply into the receiver.

"Hey, you left awfully early this morning," Mallory’s voice came over the line, "I missed you."  

"I have senior staff early this morning, and considering the turn in our relationship, I’d like to stay on your father’s good side.  Don’t you agree?  Don’t blame me, blame him."  Sam replied.

"Still, I missed you," Mallory complained, "I needed to hear your voice before I headed out to train America’s future."

"I miss you, too," Sam said with a smile, "Don’t worry, it will be the end of the day before you know it.  I’ll see you tonight."  

He listened to Mallory hang up and smiling to himself, headed off to his meeting.

 

          "Hey Donna," Josh greeted his assistant, "bring me the finest bagels this place can offer.  Life is good."  Donna laughed as she followed Josh into his office and quietly closed the door behind them.  As she turned to face him, Josh pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.  Donna was taken by surprise but slipped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer.  When they finally came up for air, Donna took a step back and found herself against the wall. 

"Now that’s a good morning," she exclaimed breathlessly.  

Josh smiled, "I want you to remember that when you are feeling down today.  Hopefully that will last until I can get my hands on you tonight."

"Not that I don’t want to see you, but I just happen to know that you’ve got meetings all day, starting with senior staff in, like, five minutes.  Lord only knows when we will finally get to leave this place!" Donna exclaimed with a look of disappointment.  

Josh laughed and quickly kissed her again.  "Boy, you don’t make my schedule or anything, do you?  Besides, I always have time for you."  He winked and kissed her quickly as she shooed him out of the office for his senior staff meeting.

 

Josh headed to Leo’s office for his meeting.  "Hey Josh!" called a familiar voice.  "Hey buddy," Josh replied to Sam as he joined him in the hallway, "you’re looking very, how shall I say it…chipper this morning.  Long night?" 

Sam’s face broke into a somewhat goofy grin as he answered.  "Yeah, I guess you could say it was.  You’ve got that same look.  Did you work late last night?"

At this Josh smiled devilishly and replied, "Yeah, it was a very long night."

Both men were still grinning as they headed into Leo’s office.  "Hey Margaret," Sam greeted Leo’s assistant, "is he ready for us now?"  

"You can go on in," Margaret replied, "Toby and CJ are already in there."  She paused for a moment before adding, "You guys are looking very happy this morning, it’s nice to see someone around here has a bright outlook."

Josh and Sam laughed as they entered Leo’s office.  Their smiles faded when they saw the grim looks on the faces of their colleagues.  

"What happened?" Sam asked as the happiness faded from his expression. 

 

Leo looked at the two men gravely.  "Jeff Breckenridge was shot at as he was leaving a speech this morning in Atlanta."  Jeff Breckenridge was their nominee for assistant attorney general for civil rights.  "He wasn’t injured, but the Aryan White Resistance is already claiming responsibility."  

Josh surveyed the room incredulously.  "How?  How does the same group that tries to assassinate the President of the United States still function enough to make another attempt on a member of this administration?"

"There’s all kinds of hate in this world, Josh," CJ replied, "I know that no one wants to think about this right now, but we’re going to have to tell the press something.  I think we should keep the details to a need to know basis.  I think the President should speak to the nation.  Also, we are going to have to come up with a stance for the administration without making it personal, considering this same group tried to kill us a little over a month ago." 

Leo nodded, "I agree with CJ.  Let’s handle this as discretely as possible.  Toby, Sam get started on a speech for the President, and keep CJ in the loop on this.  I’ll talk the President, and he’ll probably want to meet with all of you later in the day, so keep your schedules somewhat open.  Josh, call Breckenridge and make sure he is really okay.  I know that you became friendly with him after you talked to him about that book jacket.  Assure him that he still has the full support of this administration.  CJ, get in touch with the networks, the President will want to address the nation tonight.  Everyone get to work, I want to be informed every hour on any progress you make.  I’ll see you at the meeting with the President."  

 

Josh walked back to his office in a daze.  This couldn’t be happening.  Not again, not to them.  He stopped at Donna’s desk only to ask if she would get Jeff Breckenridge on the phone for him.  

Alarmed by the look on his face, Donna asked, "What happened?  What’s going on with Jeff Breckenridge and why do you look like your world has just collapsed around you?"

Ignoring her questions, Josh went into his office and closed the door.  Donna immediately knocked on the closed door, and without waiting for an answer, stepped inside.

"Josh, don’t shut me out," she pleaded.  "I know something’s wrong, I can see it in your eyes.  Let me help you, I love you."

"The Aryan Resistance took some shots at Jeff Breckenridge when he was leaving a dinner party."  Donna gasped in horror.  "He’s fine," Josh continued, "but I can’t help thinking about what almost happened to him, and what could have happened to us a month ago.  Leo thinks I should be the one to talk to him, so could you please get him on the phone for me?"  Donna walked around the desk and placed her arms around Josh.

"Everything is going to be okay, we’ll get through this together, all of us.  Please, please don’t shut me out.  We’re supposed to be a team.  Okay?"

Josh nodded his head and managed a weak smile as Donna kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered to her retreating figure as she left to arrange his requests.

 

The day flew by for the staff of the White House.  Everyone knew what was going on, thanks to CNN and the ever-present grapevine of gossip that was rampant in the West Wing.  The senior staff worked like mad to correct the situation involving Jeff Breckenridge, while their assistants scurried throughout the White House collecting information, setting up meetings and making phone calls.  The mood had changed from the usual charged, upbeat atmosphere, to one of silence and thought.  No one could forget that awful night only a month before, and now it was happening all over again.

 

Sam had been busy writing draft after draft of the President’s speech, which was to be given the next morning.  Toby hadn’t been happy with anything Sam had come up with, so there he was, still drafting one of the most important speeches to date, given by the Bartlet administration.  He paused to collect his thoughts and leaning back in his office chair, glanced at his watch.  He shot straight up and grabbed the phone as he realized that it was almost six o’clock, and he hadn’t called Mallory to cancel their plans.  

‘Oh man, am I a dead man,’ Sam groaned to himself as he dialed the familiar number.  ‘Just when I was getting back on the right track-BAM-I go and mess up with Mal again.’

"Hello?" Mallory’s voice on the line interrupted Sam’s thoughts.  

"Hey gorgeous, how was your day?"  he asked smoothly.

"Judging from the tone of your voice and the fact that you are on the phone and not at my front door, I’d say my day is going significantly better than yours!" she exclaimed, "let me take a guess, you guys are trying to handle the thing with Jeff Breckenridge and you’re going to have to cancel our date."

Sam cringed as he replied, "Mal, I am so sorry.  Everyone is so caught up in this mess not only because of Breckenridge, but the fact that these guys shot at us kind of adds to the stress levels around here."  He hesitated, not sure if he should continue.  "Could I come over or call later tonight?"

"I’d love to have you come over once you get finished," Mallory said coyly, "and I’ll tease you with these two words, ‘repeat performance.’"

Sam laughed as he replied, "You’re on."  He paused, the smile fading from his face.  "How did I get lucky enough to find you?"

Mallory bit her lip as she heard the love in his voice.  "I’m still trying to figure that out.  We’re both pretty lucky.  You’ll call if you need anything, right?  I’ll be up grading papers if you need to talk.  Don’t work too hard.  I know how important it is for you to try to right the world’s wrongs in one day, but remember you’re only human, okay?"

"I’m fine, Mal.  But I promise I’ll call before I leave, deal?"  Sam bargained.

"Okay, deal," Mallory reluctantly agreed, "I’ll see you later then, love you."

"And I love you…bye." Sam ended the conversation with a sigh and returned to his laptop.

 

Across the West Wing outside Leo’s office, the senior staff assistants were holding a meeting to keep each of them up to speed on what was going on.  Most of their bosses referred to it as their ‘gossip session’, which it no doubt turned into, but the women had developed a close bond of friendship and camaraderie, much like the senior staff.

"I can’t believe this happened again," Ginger commented.  The others nodded their agreement.  

"Just when everything was getting back to normal…WHAM…we get hit with another catastrophe," replied Margaret.  She paused as she posed a question, "How are you all holding up?"

          "I think that everyone is doing as well as can be expected," said Carol, "but something’s different with the senior staff.  Has anyone else noticed the changes?"

          "I know what you mean, Sam was looking at me like I had grown two heads when all I asked was did he want me to order lunch!" exclaimed Cathy. 

          The women looked up in surprise when they heard the stern clucking of Mrs. Landingham as she entered the room.  The other assistants quickly made a seat for the older woman, who took care of the West Wing staffers as if they were her own children.

          "Shame on all of you for complaining," she reprimanded them, " Can you imagine what they must be going through?  These criminals tried to kill them only a month ago!  What are they supposed to do?  The very least we can do is treat them with patience and respect, because they are each going through their own private hells right now."

          Donna looked straight at the President’s secretary as she said, "With all due respect, Mrs. Landingham, we went through hell that night too.  Every one of us had to wait agonizing hours until we found out if they were dead or alive.  Each one of those men and women are our friends and we care about them very much.  I can’t imagine the hell the senior staff is putting themselves through, but this isn’t easy for us either.  I hope you understand that."  

          Mrs. Landingham smiled at the group of women assembled.  "I’m sorry, my dear, I do realize that all of us went through hell that night.  But these people need us; they rely on us to help them right the wrongs of this world.  Let’s give them the greatest gift we can right now, our respect and support through this very hard time."

          The senior staff assistants nodded their agreement to what Mrs. Landingham had said.  She was right and each of them knew it.  They were a family and families’ stick together, especially through the tough times.  For the first time in a month, they really believed that they were going to make it through the tragedies and not only survive, but they would conquer the demons that were raging inside.

 

"Dammit Leo, how could this happen again?" raged the President inside the Oval Office.  "These people are the same people that tried to assassinate the President of the United States, and yet they can still function enough to try to kill again?  How does something like that occur?"

"Mr. President," Leo addressed his friend of over 40 years, "I wish I had the answers.  With all due respect, sir, you are going to have to get it together.  You are going to have to address the nation fairly quickly.  We need to assure the public that these animals won’t conquer us.  I’ve got the senior staff coming in soon, so we’ve got to focus on the tasks at hand."  

President Bartlet nodded.  When Leo was right, he was right.  "It’s nice to have a voice of reason, Leo.  All these years and you’re still telling me to focus.  When is the staff going to be here?"

There was a knock at the Oval Office door.  "I believe the staff is here, sir," remarked Leo.

One by one, Josh, Toby, CJ and Sam entered the room with a chorus of "Good Afternoon, Mr. President."

Their appearances startled the President.  None of them looked like they’d slept recently.  The Breckenridge ordeal had been going on all day, and none of his staff looked like they had dealt with anything else, including eating and sleeping.  This hadn’t been easy on them either.  

"Please, please everyone take a seat, you all know that we have still have a lot of things to deal with before the day is through.  Let’s get started," began the President.

"CJ," Leo asked, "have you arranged it with the networks?"

"Yes sir," CJ replied, "Mr. President, you will be speaking to the nation at nine p.m. eastern standard time.  All three networks will be broadcasting your address, and I will hold a press briefing immediately following."  

"Very good, very good," remarked President Bartlet, "Toby?  Do you and Sam have my speech ready to go?"

"Yes sir," answered Toby, "After the meeting here, we would like to go over it with you piece by piece."  The President nodded his agreement.

"Josh," Leo addressed his deputy, "what did Breckenridge say to you?"

Josh took a deep breath and recounted the conversation he had with the nominee for assistant attorney general for civil rights.  

"He said that he stands behind this administration.  He believes that it is outrageous that in this day and age, United States citizens can be attacked because of the color of their skin, or what they believe, or whom they know.  He appreciates the fact that we are standing behind him, and he wants to be here when the President addresses the nation this evening."

CJ and Toby both started to protest, but Josh cut them off.

"I know what the two of you are going to say, he promised he would stay out of camera range, but he insists on being here to support the President."

"I see nothing wrong with that," Leo replied, "What do you think, Mr. President?"

President Bartlet was nodding his head in agreement with Josh’s words.  "I think that it’s a fine idea.  Now, before you all scatter in different directions, there is something I want to say to you, and I probably won’t get another chance today.  I am very proud of the way you people have conducted yourselves in the wake of this ordeal.  You have acted as professionals, and have not let your opinions cloud your professional judgments.  However, I also know that this can’t be easy for any of you.  These same people tried to kill us, not more than a month ago.  Consider this room your safe haven, in here you can be angry or sad or scared, and we can share those emotions in the confines of the room, in the confines of this group of friends."  

He quickly surveyed the faces of his loyal staff.  Their faces betrayed any emotion that they were desperately trying to keep in check.  The President continued, his voice cracking with emotion.

"I am so honored that you each stayed with me in the times of tragedy and horror that have plagued us in the past months…and I have never been prouder to call you friends."    

The moment of silence seemed to go on forever.  Breaking the silence, Leo stood and faced his best friend.  

"Sir, I speak for the staff when I tell you that we have never been prouder to serve at the pleasure of the President."  Each of the staff members nodded their affirmation to Leo’s statement as they filed out of the Oval Office. 

 

Josh headed back to his office, feeling more like himself for the first time all day.  He grinned at Donna, who sat at her desk frantically finishing something at her computer.  Since she hadn’t noticed him, Josh decided to have a little bit of fun.  

"BOO!"  Josh shouted as he snuck up behind his pretty blonde assistant.  

"Josh!" Donna screamed as she turned around to reprimand him.  She stopped short when she saw the broad grin on his face. 

"Does this mean that things are getting back to normal?"  she asked.

Without answering, Josh motioned for her to follow him into his office.  As she closed the door, he swung her around and kissed her just like he had greeted her to start the day.  

Donna stepped back, trying to catch her breath.  "I’m going to take that as a yes," she whispered.  

"You better believe it, pretty lady," Josh grinned, "and I wanted to know if you would like to come with me to watch the President’s address tonight?"

"In the Oval Office?"  Donna screeched, "What will everyone think?  What if someone says something?  What if…" She was cut off as Josh kissed her again.  When they broke apart, Josh smiled at her.  

"If you would just let me talk for once, I would be able to tell you that I really don’t care what everyone else thinks.  We won’t be in the view of the press, and I think, as grown adults, that you and I can conduct ourselves in a civilized manner.  Besides…I really want to share this experience with you.  I love you Donna."

Her eyes welled up with tears at his sudden admission.  She quickly dried them with the back of her hand and looking deep into his eyes replied, "I love you too, and I would be honored to join you tonight."  

 

Sam was deep in thought as he headed through the West Wing towards the Oval Office for the President’s speech.  He smiled to himself as he thought of the prep session he and Toby had with the President after the staff meeting.  Toby and President Bartlet had argued over every point in the speech until the President finally won out because, well, he WAS the President.  His thoughts were interrupted as someone called his name down the hall.

"SAM," Mallory called as she hurried to catch up with him.

"Mal!  What are you doing here?" Sam asked as he caught her in a hug.  

After quickly kissing him she answered, "Well, as you may remember, I am related to your boss.  I got a phone call from him about thirty minutes ago, inviting me to the address, and also mentioning that he thought you might need a little support right now."  

‘Good ol’ Leo,’ Sam thought to himself, ‘he doesn’t have it in for me after all.’ He and Mallory continued toward the Oval Office hand in hand.  

 

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," President Bartlet began his address to the nation promptly at nine p.m.  "As you may know, the Aryan Resistance group has again tried to take the life of a member of my administration.  Why?  I don’t have the answer.  Why did they attempt to assassinate, not only myself, but also many other innocent people at the Newseum last month?  Again, I don’t have the answer.  That makes me angry.  Angry that people disagree with my administration and instead of writing their Congress members or even voting in elections, they resort to violent tactics.  As a parent, I am outraged that three teenage boys compromised my daughter’s life.  As a President, I am outraged that members of my staff, and a nominee for assistant attorney general must dodge bullets, simply because they are associated with my administration.  But thankfully, those individuals have not won, they have not conquered us, we are still here to fight.  Fight to get the laws made that can protect all citizens, whether they are a teacher or a member of Congress.  We must continue to fight the good fight.  Last month, I implored the good people of this great nation to not let the hate win.  To stand up and be counted for believing in what’s right.  The fight’s not over.  Decisions are made by those who show up."  He paused to survey his Oval Office.  His best friend, Leo, standing by his side always ready to fight for him, Josh and Donna, trying to pretend that nothing had changed between them, but his arm discretely around her waist wasn’t fooling anyone. Toby and CJ, quietly observing the room together in a corner, Sam and Mallory quietly standing together, hand in hand and finally, his wife and daughter, together with Charlie, standing behind the words he was saying.  The healing had begun again.  "…and only then can we have hope for the future.  Good night, God bless you and may God bless America." 

The End

  



End file.
